THE captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship that crashed into an Italian reef yesterday made his first appearance at an inquiry into the tragedy.

Passengers who survived the deadly shipwreck and families of those who died attended “to look him in the eye”.

Francesco Schettino, 51, was not compelled to be present – but said he wanted to confront those blaming him for the disaster, which claimed 32 lives.

He faces accusations of causing a shipwreck, manslaughter and abandoning ship before all passengers were evacuated.

Schettino used a back entrance yesterday to slip into the hearing in the Tuscan city of Grosseto.

Italian survivor Luciano Castro said the captain appeared “embarrassed” when they spoke briefly, adding: “The only thing he said when I told him I hope that the truth will be established was ‘Yes, it needs to be established soon’.”

Two German survivors said Schettino had shaken their hands and said he was sorry, while a third German survivor Michael Liessen, 50, said: “We want to look him in the eye to see how he will react to the accusations.”

The tragedy happened after Schettino, in an alleged stunt, took his ship off course and steered it close to the Tuscan island of Giglio on January 13.

He had been trying to carry out a night-time sail-past salute, it has been claimed. But the ship ran aground and capsized.

Hearings this week will decide whether Schettino, who denies the accusations and has not been charged, will face trial.

He insists that by guiding the stricken ship into shallower waters, instead of ordering an immediate evacuation, he saved lives.

A key question is how much blame Schettino should bear and how much responsibility lies with his crew and employer Costa Crociere.

Last month, court-appointed experts delivered a 270-page report based on data recorders, ship communications equipment, testimony and other evidence.

The dossier put most of the blame on Schettino but it also noted not all crew understood Italian, not all had current safety certifications, and not all passengers had done evacuation drills.

Francesco Pepe, with the captain’s defence team, said “responsibilities that aren’t all Schettino’s are beginning to emerge”.

Some crew, lawyers for survivors and families of victims are seeking to point the blame at corporate level, alleging negligence.

Passengers have told of chaos during the disaster, with crew giving conflicting direction and many lifeboats unable to be lowered.

Some of the 4,200 on board leapt into the Mediterranean while others were rescued by helicopters.